AU4459799A - Seal for a bottle closure - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

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Name of Applicant/s: John Charles Cook Actual Inventor/s: John Charles Cook Address for Service: BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 Invention Title: "SEAL FOR A BOTTLE CLOSURE" Details of Associated Provisional Application No. PP5352 dated 19 AUG 1998 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- File: 22688.00 -2- SEAL FOR A BOTTLE CLOSURE This invention relates to a seal for a bottle closure and has been devised particularly thought not solely for sealing the top of a wine bottle.

There are many applications where it is highly desirable to provide a completely airtight seal for a bottle closure to prevent degradation of the contents of the bottle. A typical application is on wine bottles which are traditionally sealed with a cork in the neck of the bottle supplemented by a cap which may be formed from a metal foil or from a suitable plastics material such as PVC (sometimes in combination with a foil top).

Such caps are not always airtight and corks have been known to permit the passage of air, particularly when the bottles are stored in an upright position allowing the cork to become dry. It is generally recognised that 6 8% of wine worldwide is spoilt by cork failure or contamination.

•Attempts have been made in the past to provide a wax seal over the bottle closure, typically by dipping the neck of a bottle into which a cork has been inserted, into a container of liquid wax and then allowing the wax to dry, forming a fairly thick wax cap over the upper portion of the bottle neck and the top of the cork. Although such wax closures are effective in preventing the ingress of air into the bottle, they are difficult to remove frequently requiring the use of a knife or similar sharp implement .which often causes the wax to shatter and create a considerable mess, and is time consuming.

For both the control of air ingress into a bottle, and for the aesthetically pleasing provision of a wax seal, it is desirable to be able to form a wax seal over the neck of a bottle which is economical to implement while being easy to remove safely by the user without creating the mess of a shattered wax seal.

In one aspect, the present invention therefore provides a seal for a bottle closure, including a ribbon extending at least up one side of the neck of the bottle and across the opening to the bottle, and a thin layer of malleable wax forming a seal applied over at least the upper portion of the bottle neck and ribbon leaving at least one end of the ribbon protruding from the lower edge of the wax seal.

I I~I j r_ ;rj j i I i ~l Preferably the ribbon extends across the opening and down the opposite side of the neck of the bottle so that both ends of the ribbon protrude from the lower edge of the wax seal.

Preferably the thin layer of malleable wax is formed by dipping the neck of the bottle into a liquid combination of bees wax, paraffin, steric acid, silicon and other ingredients which is tempered at approximately 80*C and then lowered to approximately 71 C before the wax is applied to the bottle.

Preferably the ribbon comprises a polyester ribbon having a satin finish to one side.

Alternatively the ribbon is formed from a metallic substance.

"•lng Preferably the ribbon is approximately 7 mm wide and approximately 350 mm long.

Preferably the seal includes a cap enclosing the bottle opening and the upper part of the neck of the bottle, the wax seal extending over the lower edge of the cap so as to totally cover the cap, and the ribbon lying between the cap and the neck of the bottle.

Preferably the cap comprises a PVC body or similar substance, approximately microns thick.

*.Preferably the cap is provided with a foil top, typically aluminium, of approximately 4 micron thickness.

Alternatively the cap comprises a metallic cap made of tin or similar material.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method of forming a seal for a bottle closure including the steps of positioning a ribbon to extend up at least one side of the neck of the bottle and across the opening to the bottle, dipping the neck of the bottle into a bath of molten malleable wax, and allowing the wax to set.

Preferably the molten malleable wax is formed by combining bees wax, paraffin, steric acid, silicon and other ingredients, tempering the combined ingredients at approximately 80C for a predetermined period of time, and lowering the temperature of the mixture so formed to approximately 71 0 C before the wax is applied to the bottle.

Preferably the method includes the step of engaging a cap over the upper part of the neck of the bottle and the ribbon, before dipping the neck of the bottle into the molten wax to a depth wherein the wax totally covers the cap.

Preferably the ribbon is constrained to lie closely against the underlying bottle neck before dipping, so as to inhibit the ingress of molten wax beneath the ribbon.

Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a bottle incorporating a seal according to the invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view to an enlarged scale of the seal shown in Fig. 1, viewed at 900 to the view in Fig. 1, and with thicknesses exaggerated for clarity.

"In the preferred form of the invention a seal is provided for the closure of a wine bottle 1, but it will be understood that the invention can equally be applied to other forms of bottle or jar closure.

o The bottle has a neck 2 into which is inserted a cork 3 in the traditional manner of a wine bottle. The bottle closure may be provided with a cap 4 of any suitable form but which typically has a PVC body of approximately 75 microns thick and may optionally be provided with a foil top 5 in the form of a disc overlying the cork, the foil top being typically formed from aluminium of approximately 4 micron thickness.

In order to form the seal according to the invention, a ribbon 6 is provided positioned beneath the cap 4 such that the ribbon extends up at least one side of the neck in portion 7, across the opening in portion 8, and down the opposite side in portion 9.

SThe ribbon is positioned to lie closely to the outer surface of the neck 2 so as to exclude the penetration of wax between the ribbon and the glass during the wax formation process described below. This may be achieved in any suitable manner but can be achieved by simply engaging an elastic band of suitable size around the neck of the bottle and the lower ends of the ribbon 6 while the ribbon is tensioned firmly over the top of the bottle.

The seal is then provided with a layer of malleable wax 10 by inverting the bottle and dipping the upper part of the neck into a container of liquid wax. The composition of the wax is such as to form a relatively thin (when compared to prior art wax seals) malleable layer of wax over the cap 4 and the ribbon 6.

To this end the wax is typically formed from a combination of beeswax, paraffin, steric acid, silicon and other ingredients and is inert, having no chemical reaction with the bottle contents or the cork. The wax is typically tempered at approximately 80 0

C

and then cooled to approximately 71 0 C before the bottle necks are immersed in the wax.

It has been found that a wax with this composition and held at the designated temperature, will form a cohesive and yet relatively malleable or pliable (non-brittle) wax seal being relatively thin when compared with traditional (typically brittle) prior art wax seals.

The seal so formed has an aesthetically pleasing and somewhat traditional appearance which is particularly suitable fur use with the sale of more "up market" wines or those sold in presentation packages.

In use, when it is desired to open a bottle of wine having a seal according to the invention, the user simply grips one end 11 of the ribbon protruding below the wax seal, g and pulls that end upwardly while holding the bottle firmly in the other hand. Due to the nature of the wax seal, and the fact that wax has been prevented from penetrating between the ribbon and the underlying bottle neck, a strip of wax is cleanly removed with the ribbon, up one side and across at least part of the top of the seal cleanly. At the same time, the ribbon tears a strip from the cap 4, releasing the cap from the top of the bottle. The seal and cap may then be cleanly removed from the neck of the bottle in one piece without messy fragmentation of the wax, allowing the bottle to then be opened in .the traditional manner. The removal process takes about one second and is clean and safe compared with the removal of prior art wax seals which is messy, time consuming and often dangerous due to the need to use a sharp implement. It has been found that removal of the seal in this manner removes all wax components, leaving the top of the cork and the surrounding glass clean, avoiding the possibility of wax contamination in the wine when the cork is removed.

It is also envisaged that the cap could be dispensed with in some applications, still allowing the wax seal to be removed without fragmentation due to the nature of the malleable wax.

Claims (16)

1. A seal for a bottle closure, including a ribbon extending at least up one side of the neck of the bottle and across the opening to the bottle, and a thin layer of malleable wax forming a seal applied over at least the upper portion of the bottle neck and ribbon leaving at least one end of the ribbon protruding from the lower edge of the wax seal.

2. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ribbon extends across the opening and down the opposite side of the neck of the bottle.

3. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the thin layer of malleable wax is formed by dipping the neck of the bottle into a liquid combination of bees wax, paraffin, steric acid, silicon and other ingredients which is •tempered at approximately 80°C and then lowered to approximately 71 0 C before the wax is applied to the bottle.

4. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the ribbon comprises a polyester ribbon having a satin finish to one side.

5. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the ribbon is formed from a metallic substance.

6. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the ribbon is approximately 7 mm wide and approximately 350 mm long.

7. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including a cap enclosing the bottle opening and the upper part of the neck of the bottle, the wax S' seal extending over the lower edge of the cap so as to totally cover the cap, and the ribbon lying between the cap and the neck of the bottle.

8. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cap comprises a PVC body or similar substance, approximately 75 microns thick.

9. A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cap is provided with a foil top, typically aluminium, of approximately 4 micron thickness.

A seal for a bottle closure as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cap comprises a metallic cap made of tin or similar material.

11. A method of forming a seal for a bottle closure including the steps of positioning a ribbon to extend up at least one side of the neck of the bottle and across the opening to nlll l~l ~I 1_1 1 _II ;1_1 1~ i_ _r _F I~ ^i l~i rX 1 -7- the bottle, dipping the neck of the bottle into a bath of molten malleable wax, and allowing the wax to set.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the molten malleable wax is formed by combining bees wax, paraffin, steric acid, silicon and other ingredients, tempering the combined ingredients at approximately 80*C for a predetermined period of time, and lowering the temperature of the mixture so formed to approximately 71'C before the wax is applied to the bottle.

13. A method as claimed in either claim 11 or claim 12 including the step of engaging a cap over the upper part of the neck of the bottle and the ribbon, before dipping the neck of the bottle into the molten wax to a depth wherein the wax totally covers the cap.

14. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13 wherein the ribbon is •constrained to lie closely against the underlying bottle neck before dipping, so as to inhibit the ingress of molten wax beneath the ribbon.

15. A seal for a bottle closure substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. S

16. A method of forming a seal for a bottle closure substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 19th Day of August, 1999 JOHN CHARLES COOK Attorney: JOHN D. FORSTER Fellow Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia of BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS